Sides, Major M.

Major M. Sides, born in Perry County, Missouri, on January 27, 1838, was a distinguished Civil War veteran and an early pioneer of Selma, California. Raised on a small farm by his mother, Daisy Welker, after the early death of his father, Elihu Sides, he obtained a modest education before enlisting in the Missouri State Militia and later the Forty-eighth Missouri Volunteer Infantry. He earned a commission as Major during his military career and received an honorable discharge in April 1865. Following the war, he returned to farming in Missouri, served two terms in the state legislature from Dent County, and ultimately decided to relocate to California in late 1875. He settled two and a half miles north of the present site of Selma, where he established a 160 acre soldier homestead and personally helped construct the Centerville and Kingsburg Ditch to bring essential irrigation to the area.

In addition to developing over 500 acres of land with grain, peaches, and grapes, Major Sides emerged as Selma’s foremost financier and helped organize the Bank of Selma, which later became the First National Bank. His financial leadership extended across the region as a director and stockholder in multiple local banks, including institutions in Fresno, Kingsburg, Fowler, Caruthers, and Sanger. Throughout his life in Fresno County, he was married twice, first to Casander Mathews, who passed away in 1893, and later to Ollie M. Davies, with whom he had two sons, Douglass R. and Thomas Marion. A dedicated community benefactor, he served on the board of trustees for the local Presbyterian Church for two decades and helped erect its places of worship. He passed on public political offices in California, choosing instead to focus on his business enterprises, agricultural development, and civic contributions until his death.